Two Juan Diego student body officers named All-State Academic swimmers

Courtesy photo/JDCHS

+ Enlarge

DRAPER — Juan Diego Catholic High School student body officers Riley Rose and Jeppesen Feliciano were named to the First Team Academic All-State Swim Team following this year’s 3A State Championship Tournament held at Brigham Young University Feb. 9.

Juan Diego was one of the few schools to have two members named to the All-State first team, said John Moran, Juan Diego boys and girls swim coach. Moran also was named the 2012 Utah State Girls Coach of the Year and named by the National Federation of High Schools as the 2012 Western Sectional Region Girls’ Coach of the Year for Hawaii, Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah.

Rose and Jeppesen are outstanding scholar-athletes, Moran said.

"Jeppesen is the captain of the swim team and has been a strong leader and inspirational person in that he has been the hardest worker on the team for the past four years," Moran said. "He is unique in that before he came to Juan Diego, he had never swum before, and because he worked so hard, he propelled himself into that leadership position and his accomplishments. He is also involved in student government and takes advanced placement and honors classes and maintains a perfect 4.0 grade point average."

Rose is the president of the student body and involved in student government and is an amazing person, said Moran, adding that Rose’s main sport is freestyle skiing. "He also plays lacrosse along with skiing off of cliffs and swimming," he said. "He does a lot of charitable work and a lot of other activities at school."

Casey Rose, Riley’s younger brother, also skis and is on the swim team, which caused a problem going into the state meet.

"He broke his arm skiing and was unable to swim, so we had to juggle our relays for state and bring in freshman Woody Greer in the medley relay, and he swam 23.40 in the 50 freestyle," Moran said. "Connor Stolfa anchored the 200 freestyle relay in place of Casey Rose and we took second place at state."

On Juan Diego’s girls swim team, freshmen Jessica Espinoza swam the 50 freestyle and the 500 freestyle, Moran said, adding that she swam some fantastic times.

"Maddie Caldwell matched her region time in the 200 freestyle and was 11th in the 100 meter breast stroke," said Moran. "Our freestyle relays were Jaclyn Testone, Caldwell, Espinoza and Erin Testone, and they took fourth in the 200 freestyle relay."

Overall the boys took fifth place and the girls came in sixth place. Of the 15 team members, nine qualified individually for state.

Juan Diego swimmers had a good season this year, said Moran.

"We have Jeppesen, Rose and another of our best swimmers who will graduate this year, including Phillip Hojnacki," he said. "On the girls’ team, Erin Testone, Kelsey Watnes and Riley Kimura will graduate. The rest of the teams are mostly freshmen and sophomores, so for the next couple of years we should be able to have much stronger teams, which will be great."

With Judge Memorial Catholic High School moving to the 4A division next year, "that will change 3A swimming big time, especially on the girls’ side," Moran said.